To Save a Past
by AJ Gryffindor
Summary: If Harry had a chance to do it all over again, to go back with knowledge of the future and the ability to change it...Would he give up his future in order to save his past? AU. Yes, I know...done to death.
1. A Second Chance

AN: Yes, I know...this idea has been done to death. But I've been dying to try one of these myself, and part of that lies with my increasing discontent with the books. And the characters. I may go into detail about this later. I've rated it T for now...that may change as we get deeper into the story. We'll see.

If you liked Shadows of His Mind there's a good chance you'll like this one as well, I think. As we hit later chapters we'll start to get some of that Gray direction here...if the story goes the way I want it to. And speaking of Shadows...I've been bouncing around a second part for it. Just a wrap up...but we'll see.

I've been thinking about this for a while now, and I wrote the first chapters several months ago. I have four completed chapters, and one in progress. I'm actually throwing this up to see how it's received. I haven't ever really posted a chaptered fic. If there's interest than I'll keep going. I have a lot of ideas that I'm itching to get into, especially if we ever hit the later years. I'm going to try to keep college out of the way...but I don't know how successful I'll be. There's your warning...updates may be unconsistant. This isn't Beta'd. I don't know if I'm taking offers for Beta-readers right now.

Standard disclaimer that works for the rest of the fic: I don't own Harry Potter, any other characters or any locations therein. I might like to but I don't. That honor belongs with J.K.R. and anyone else with enough money to buy in.

**To Save a Past**

Chapter One: **A Second Chance**

After a while, exhausted and drained, Harry found himself sitting on a bench beside Luna.

"I'd want some peace and quiet, if it were me," she said.

"I'd love some," he replied.

"I'll distract them all," she said. "Use your cloak."

And before he could say a word, she had cried, "Oooh, look, a Blibbering Humdinger!" and pointed out the window. Everyone who heard looked round, and Harry slid the Cloak up over himself, and got to his feet.

Now he could move through the Hall without interference. But as he did so, the noise died down. At first so gradually that Harry didn't notice, but all at once, the Hall fell silent.

Harry froze, his eyes clenched tight. The Hall was a still as death itself. He feared opening them, because if he was terrified of what he would find when he did so. But he knew he couldn't stand there forever, trying to escape reality.

He opened one slowly, followed by the other. The Hall was silent, and still. People were frozen in their celebrations; Luna was still gesturing wildly out the window. It appeared that he was the only one that could still move.

He walked back over towards Luna, and gingerly laid a hand on her shoulder, but there was no response. Harry shivered, but gritted his teeth. He was tired, but there was no overcoming this. Whatever had happened, he'd have to fix.

But as he walked towards the Hall doors, a rumbling started. Moving up the foundation, the vibrations were quickly shaking Hogwarts itself. Harry fumbled for his wand, but it slipped from his fingers, and rolled across the floor. Harry lunged for it, his fingers found the polished length, and then all went black.

* * *

Harry bolted upright, chest heaving, and covered in sweat. He was still partially wrapped in his Cloak, and was gripping the Elder Wand tightly. It was total darkness.

Shaking slightly, he raised his wand and muttered, "Lumos." The Elder Wand flickered, spat out a few (motes) of light and then died.

Something in the darkness chuckled. "That will not work here, child. This is my domain, and it is only susceptible to my magic."

Harry raised the wand and shouted, "Who are you? What have you done?!"

The voice only laughed again. "Done? I have done nothing. However, if you would like me to do something, I am perfectly willing to acquiesce to your request."

And the moment it finished speaking, Harry felt something lash out. Something fiery slapped his wrist, and startled and in pain, Harry dropped his wand. The attack didn't subside, and something fairly thick and heavy struck him in the stomach. Harry rolled away, coughing and gasping. He called the Elder Wand back to him, and managed to return to a standing position.

"Are you Voldemort?" Harry snarled.

"Of course not." The voice replied, chuckling again. "Foolish child, I am All and Nothing."

"What do you want?" Harry spat.

"What I want really matters not. I am here to offer you a choice."

Harry was silent, but he drew his Cloak tighter around himself.

"You have seen the past. You have felt the losses."

"What do you want?" Harry growled again.

"This is your future, as all is now."

Suddenly, in the total darkness, there was a light. Harry stumbled towards it, but stopped, gasping in astonishment. For there, wreathed but the light, was himself, yet older. It looked as though the older Harry was at Platform 9 ¾.

"It won't be long, and you'll be going too," the Older Harry was saying.

The vision was blurry, and it sounded as though it was coming through a long tunnel.

There were children there, that Harry could tell, and it sounded as though one of them was crying. A girl, small and red-haired.

"I won't!" Someone was saying.

There were two boys, one who looked remarkably like Harry himself, and then….Ginny.

Harry smiled. The Older Harry repeated the gesture. Ginny was still beautiful, Harry thought. But he continued to stare at the fuzzy, grainy image.

"You'll write to me…"

"Where…"

"We'll find them."

There were Hermione and Ron, and what must be their children standing besides them. Harry saw Malfoy, who appeared to be growing bald. Harry couldn't help snorting slightly. And there, by his side, was a boy who was the spitting image of Draco, as he was almost seven years ago.

"Little Scorpius, make sure you bea…"

"Teddy's back…snogging Victoire…"

"Comes round for dinner…invite…live…"

"Don't forget to give Neville our love!"

"Mum!...can't give a professor…"

"Thestrals.."

"Bye, Al,"

"Slytherin…"

"Albus Severus…"

"Slytherin…"

"Staring…"

"Worry you, I'm extremely…"

Older Harry reached up, and idly brushed his scar.

And as quickly as it had appeared, the image faded away, leaving Harry standing in the darkness again.

"That is your future now. That will be the unchanged reality. You will have love, and a family. You have won, and it remains so. But all those lost stay that way."

"So," Harry choked, getting angry. "That's always how it is. Those who are gone are gone. They can't come back. And those who are left behind can only move forward."

The voice only continued. "There is happiness there. Yet also sadness. There are orphans, and rebuilding that still needs to be done."

"So?!" Harry snapped. "That is life. I've learned to live with it! What the hell do you want, and what do you have to do with any of this?"

"Reality can be changed by those who desire it enough. Lives can be saved, tragedies averted, and the past can be redone. But those who wish to save the past, must give up their future, and forge a brand new one.

Perhaps you never get married. Your children may never be born. Do you wish to trade? Do you have the will to trade?"

"I never said I wanted too!" Harry snarled.

The voice chuckled. "If you didn't want to, you would not be here. Imagine…all those who fell could stand beside you…perhaps on that very platform, saying goodbye, waving goodbye to your pride and joy. To the next generation."

Harry hesitated. Of course this was tempting! To be able to save Sirius, to erase the deaths of Tonks and Lupin. To keep the Weasley family whole, to let Hedwig fly peacefully for the rest of her days. To receive socks once more from Dobby, to see Dumbledore's eyes twinkle one more time. To redo every mistake, every year at Hogwarts. To destroy the Horcruxes before Voldemort even had a chance. To remove that Diary before it took the innocence of a first-year.

"Think hard, Child. And make your choice."

Harry thought about it once more. He could lose a future he had almost no attachment to, to regain, save the past he lost. "Save a past that's lost..." He murmured.

"Yes. And open a new door to an untouched future. A second chance, if you will."

Harry hesitated, but then whispered. "I'll do it."

"Yes. I figured you would. Accept this choice fully, accept yourself fully, accept your past fully and all will go well."

There was a quiet noise, one that Harry had never heard before, followed a ripping with very little pain. And half of Harry was gone.

The other half was left behind with the voice. "Call it my 'processing' fee, if you will, child. You shall see when you get there. Good Luck." And then the presence settled down to consume Harry's body, now nothing more than a naked shell.

* * *

**AN**: Right. There's the first chapter. There are excerpts from the last bits of DH in there (You can probably tell). I don't own those of course. Please let me know what you think. Gently if possible. If you catch a mistake, like a typo or something, you're welcome point it out. I may get the 2nd chapter up in the next couple of days...depending on the reaction. Now for a teaser...

Next Chapter: **A Solution Not So Simple**

Harry was spiraling downwards, first through eternal blackness, and then through never-dieing light. It seemed to him that he fell forever. He clutched his wand helplessly, and the Invisibility Cloak fluttered, abandoned, behind him. Neither would provide the aid he desperately craved, desperately sought.

Harry was terrified. He felt he had never felt fear like this. He wished he could go back to that Dark Place, and make another decision, one that provided him with a secure future. He should have realized that this solution wasn't simple. That there was a price to be paid.

It was presented to him as his future for the past. An exchange. A chance to get one more try at everything messed up.

As Harry rushed downwards, he wondered how great of a mistake he'd made. If this was really a chance to do things over.

And then he blacked out.

Harry woke. He was somewhere cramped but warm. Somewhere familiar and comfortable. He sat up. It was dark, hot, and musty. And he wasn't alone. Someone else was breathing.


	2. A Solution Not So Simple

AN: Holy crap. I mean...just wow. People actually are interested. People actually liked this. This pleases me. Shadows of His Mind was my last popular story, and by popular, I mean mildly. Thank you for all the faves and all the reviews. They are appreciated.

But it also makes me upset for a couple of reasons. One-In the first couple of chapters nothing happens. The stage is just set. Things don't pick up until Chapter 5 which is still being written. Two-The first couple of chapters are short. Again, after Chapter 5 this should change. Things are set in motion in Chapter 5 so the chapters get longer from there on. But I may lose a couple of people before then. Bear with me.

**To Save a Past**

Chapter Two: **A Solution Not So Simple**

Harry was spiraling downwards, first through eternal blackness, and then through never-dying light. It seemed to him that he fell forever. He clutched his wand helplessly, and the Invisibility Cloak fluttered, abandoned, behind him. Neither would provide the aid he desperately craved, desperately sought.

Harry was terrified. He felt he had never felt fear like this. He wished he could go back to that Dark Place, and make another decision, one that provided him with a secure future. He should have realized that this solution wasn't simple. That there was a price to be paid.

It was presented to him as his future for the past. An exchange. A chance to get one more try at everything messed up.

As Harry rushed downwards, he wondered how great of a mistake he'd made. If this was really a chance to do things over.

And then he blacked out.

* * *

Harry woke. He was somewhere cramped but warm. Somewhere familiar and comfortable. He sat up. It was dark, hot, and musty. And he wasn't alone. Someone else was breathing.

As his eyes adjusted to the black, he realized he was sitting on a bed. And someone was in that bed. He blinked a few times, owlishly, and stared. He was looking at himself. The boy was younger, yes. But it was Harry, no more than three. He bumped his head gently against the sloped ceiling, and dislodged dust and spiders. He was in the Cupboard Under the Stairs, a place he never imagined sitting in again. But his thoughts were quickly interrupted.

Young Harry was stirring. He let loose a few indistinguishable murmurs, and then he seemed to freeze. Harry figured that the child realized he wasn't alone.

The boy sat up, and reached for a pair of glasses, shakily sliding them on. "Who are you?" Young Harry asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm you." Harry said. "I'm Harry."

The child froze again; his mouth dropping open, and then he sucked in a breath and opened his mouth to scream.

Harry slapped a hand over Young Harry's mouth. "Hush. Shhh, I'm not here to hurt you, I promise. It's true. You're me, but I'm more you."

The boy squirmed, and fear was evident in his eyes.

Harry took a deep breath. "Like I said, we're the same. We're both Harry. But I come from the future…a future."

The boy reached up and removed Harry's hand. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to save you, and countless others. I'm here to repair the past, and craft a new future."

"What? Why?"

"We have friends, we have family. But because of who we are, and because of Voldemort, there is a big war."

"War? Who's Voldemot?"

"Voldemort." Harry corrected. He reached out a touched Young Harry's scar with his index finger. "He's the man that gave us this scar."

"But the car…"

"A lie. We're special. We're different from the Dursleys. We're what you would call a Wizard. And we can do magic."

Young Harry shook, and looked as if he wanted to slap Harry. "That's a bad word."

"No. It's a truth. It's part of our life, and we can't shake it even if we tried."

Young Harry cocked his head, and Harry could tell the boy was confused. He tried to get to the point.

"WE have family and friends. But during the war, many of them die. I've come back, by power's unknown, to change that."

"So…" Young Harry started. "We can save people? Change the past?"

"It's my past…your future. I gave up my future in order to save the past. My past, your present. I'm sure you're confused, right?"

The boy wobbled his head, in a sort of yes-no gesture.

"Right. But all you need to do is accept me. Accept the fact that I'm here. I'm here to lend help, and warn you of the things ahead. Together we can save the future by changing the past."

"Accept?" Young Harry whispered.

"Yes." Harry held out his hand. The child bit his lip, but then took it. "Right, right." Harry instinctively knew what to do. Holding the boy's hand tight in his, he leaned forward, and touched his forehead to the boy's.

His scar burned, and he was sure Young Harry's was on fire as well. There was a flash of light, and Harry was soaring again. He flew through Young Harry's memories, many of them he was familiar with, but others were new. He figured that Young Harry was looking at the future, if it was unchanged, to come.

Finally, the light died down, and Harry was staring at himself once more.

"Wow." The child gasped. "Wow…that was…I dunno."

"Yeah. But we can fix it."

"Fixing it looks nice." The boy agreed.

"Yes. We're connected now, and everything will change."

Young Harry swayed, and Harry wrapped an arm about his shoulders. "Time to rest, little one. That was a bit much for you, especially since it was your first encounter with magic for a long while."

"Mmn." The child murmured.

"Time to sleep." And he laid the boy in bed. He tucked himself in, contemplating that this was kind of weird, and then moved back to the foot of the bed, resting against the wall.

"What…what should I call you?" Young Harry asked sleepily.

Harry smiled. "That we will work out tomorrow, young one."

"O…kay." The boy replied, and he drifted off toward sleep.

Harry smiled, and stretched out, propping his legs up against the wall. He put the Cloak behind his head for a pillow, and left the Elder Wand on his chest. He was tired as well. But now they were connected. They had almost forever to work out all the kinks. Harry grinned once more, and then shut his eyes as well.

* * *

**AN**: Right. That's that for now. I think I'm going to upload about one chapter a week so hopefully I can stay ahead. I can't promise an upload on a specific day but I'm aiming for once a week. I'm going to try to get cracking on the mysterious action-packed super-long Chapter 5 but I'm in the midst of Midterms right now so I have several tests and a truckload of homework, mostly math, my worst subject. I'll see what I can do. I'm also going to try to reply to the reviews I got/get but I can't promise anything. Thanks. And if anyone is worried about the Harry/Young Harry thing that resolves itself as I hinted it would. Once again comments/criticisms taken, please point out typos, etc.

Next Chapter: **Lurking Darkness in the Brand New Day**

As Harry slept, he dreamt.

He was chasing after his younger self, who was charging recklessly forward. He was screaming warnings, yelling for the boy to stop. Young Harry looked back once, and paused, but then continued to rush ahead.

Harry slowed, thinking perhaps it was futile to try and stop the child. His younger self was charging toward his future. Something Harry didn't have. At least, he didn't have one anymore. He was here to fix the boy's future…nothing more.

He came to a stop, and stood there catching his breath. But something rumbled behind him. Harry twisted, looking behind him, and he yelped when he saw what it was. A wave of darkness was rushing toward him.


	3. Lurking Darkness in the Brand New Day

AN: Sorry. But between midterms and family I didn't have time to throw this up here. I shouldn't have opened my mouth. I've worked a little on chapter 5, but nothing substantial yet. I'm getting there.

**To Save a Past**

Chapter Three: **Lurking Darkness in the Brand New Day**

As Harry slept, he dreamt.

He was chasing after his younger self, who was charging recklessly forward. He was screaming warnings, yelling for the boy to stop. Young Harry looked back once, and paused, but then continued to rush ahead.

Harry slowed, thinking perhaps it was futile to try and stop the child. His younger self was charging toward his future. Something Harry didn't have. At least, he didn't have one anymore. He was here to fix the boy's future…nothing more.

He came to a stop and stood there catching his breath. But something rumbled behind him. Harry twisted, looking behind him, and he yelped when he saw what it was. A wave of darkness was rushing toward him.

Harry bolted, running as fast as he could, running away from the darkness pursuing him. But Harry knew he was far too slow. He could feel it, hear it rushing up behind him. And knew that it wouldn't be long before he was consumed.

He stumbled, and knew that was it. He reached for his wand, and found it wasn't there. He was helpless. He wanted to scream, yet when he opened his mouth, nothing came out.

The shadow spread over him, and Harry fell into darkness.

* * *

Something in the back of Harry's mind stirred. It raised its head, and, like a snake, tasted the air. It had a vague reckoning of where it was, but it didn't know why it was there, or if it even belonged.

It was still young, and rather fragile. But it felt strength nearby, and moved to sap it. It wouldn't be long before it would be strong enough to start to move around. But for now it coiled and uncoiled, writhing, twisting, and morphing, before settling on its final form.

It wouldn't be able to take it now, no. There wasn't enough energy yet, but soon, soon there would be. And then it would seize control.

At least that was what it contemplated. If figured that it would eventually be able to pull it off. It had never failed before. At least by its reckoning. And even if it had failed at some time or another, it would not this time.

Its life and future depended on the success. It depended on a total takeover.

It smiled, and laughed. And then settled. It would not do to have its host noticed before the proper time.

It laughed again. A long, deep, maniacal laugh. And in the darkness, something sparkled. Something red.

* * *

Harry bolted upright, and slammed his head on the sloped ceiling of the cupboard. He was gasping and sweaty. But those things didn't bother him as much as something else did.

His scar was burning. It wasn't so much the pain that agitated him…but more that fact that his scar was acting up again. And Harry realized that he was scared.

He had defeated Voldemort once already! Why did he have to do it again?

Harry shook his head roughly. Those were childish thoughts. He made this choice. No one else made it for him, and he would have to live with the consequences.

Harry figured that his confusion, paranoia, and fear were a result of exhaustion. Perhaps effects of the final battle. He seemed to be so brave, to hold everything together so well, up to now.

Harry sighed; he should have figured that it wouldn't last. While he had a good head on his shoulders, it still didn't change the fact that he was still just a young man. One who was just about to possibly go through everything again.

He shook his head, chuckling in amusement when a few very confused spiders flew out.

Young Harry was still sleeping. Harry decided to let him be. He knew it was sometime in the early morning, and the child would probably be awakened soon. And he didn't feel that he could get back to sleep.

So Harry started to lay down a plan of action. He knew that he would have to start going about and locating the Horcruxes as early as possible. He made a mental note to be sure and get Gaunt's Ring first; if it was destroyed before Dumbledore laid a hand on it, then perhaps his life could be extended. And Harry figured that he might as well keep the Hallows he located. He had the cloak, and could easily get the stone. Dumbledore held that wand, and that was a good place for it, at least for the time being. He had his own after all. Harry made a note to keep good track of his Elder Wand. Two in one world was very dangerous.

He had to free Sirius, or at least set about doing that in some way. Thus, he needed to capture Wormtail as well. And that involved Weasleys. And that complicated the plan rather early on. Harry knew that it was important to meet Ron at the Platform. Any earlier and things would change, probably drastically and that would complicate matters beyond imagining. But there were plenty of things he could do before hand, when he was not truly known to the Wizarding World, and thus was under less of a watch.

He could destroy Horcruxes, and save Sirius by capturing Wormtail.

Harry sighed. That actually wasn't very much, but both would certainly change the future.

There were other things Harry could do. Like train his younger self. Harry was sure he could force his way into the Potter vault even if he didn't have his key. From there they could purchase whatever they needed, while not under a watchful eye. Harry knew they would have to get a wand. The Elder Wand would not be good for the growth of the child's magic.

Younger Harry needed to get a good sense of his abilities and magical stores. The Elder Wand would prevent that. And his first wand would not be good either. Ollivander would immediately alert Dumbledore if the wand was bought, and they did not need that.

Young Harry was three, and could probably really begin moving about the world when he became five. A three-year-old walking and talking like an adult would call too much attention. And a disguise would almost always be necessary.

As Harry thought about wands, he wondered if the Elder Wand would fix his own Phoenix one. They'd have to try that sometime. Sometime when the magical warnings and watches were not on the house or the child.

Harry realized that there was a lot to do though he had a while to plan. Eight years…he still would probably take things as they come, especially in less certain situations.

Harry sat back and wondered about their connection. He figured that only the boy could see him, because in reality, he was just lurking in the child's mind. His younger self probably didn't have to speak aloud to talk to him. He also wondered if there was a way of taking over. He wondered if taking over also meant that all injuries and pain were subjected to the body, or to the spirit occupying it at the time of acquisition.

And Harry wondered if there would be a way to materialize himself. He knew that there would eventually be questions. Questions very hard to answer without visible evidence. It figured that it wouldn't hurt to reveal himself, if he could, to those especially close. He knew that a five-year-old breaking Sirius Black out of prison, would bring questions to the innocent convict and Lupin, who Harry planned on eventually bringing into the scheme.

He knew that they would immediately demand answers. Even if the time wasn't quite right, so he would have to have something at least drafted. Something that made a bit of sense.

Of course, he realized, if he removed Wormtail from the equation, then who would resurrect the Dark Lord? As much as he disliked it, the resurrection had to happen. Having bits of the Dark Lord floating about in nefarious places and up to no good wasn't an optimal situation. If that way back was crushed, Voldemort would find another. Likely one nastier. And that would insert new variables into the situation. Just what Harry wanted to avoid. This was quickly becoming very complicated. Harry sighed. He should have figured that this wouldn't be easy.

He quickly made a list of things he wanted to happen.

Free Sirius.

Remove as many Horcruxes as possible before Hogwarts.

Save Snape and (possibly?) befriend him.

Harry pondered this one for a while. Yes, he still disliked the man, but he still couldn't help but feel a bit of respect for the man. Nothing good had really happened for Snape, yet he'd still done what was required of him. Snape was also pretty important in what was to come. Harry was just left feeling confused at the end of his thought process. He felt he had to do something with Snape…he just wasn't sure what.

Defeat Voldemort.

Try to let things happen in a natural course to avoid surprises

And things he didn't want to happen.

People dying.

Letting Dumbledore go Crazy with the Hallows and Horcruxes.

Letting stupid things happen for stupid reasons.

Harry was still unsure of how he felt about Dumbledore. A lot had gone on between them, especially towards the end. Harry still felt a bit of guilt over Dumbledore's death; even though it wasn't his fault. And he still felt betrayed, even if he understood the reasons behind the betrayal.

Yes, the old man was manipulative at times. But Dumbledore himself had pretty much admitted that. That, and that when he screwed up, it would be big. But despite Dumbledore's vices, he was good for the Wizarding World…he was what Hogwarts needed. Harry decided he would take things with Dumbledore as they came….but in order for things to go as planned, Young Harry would need to be aware of pretty much everything going on…and out from under Dumbledore's thumb. But it would be up to Harry to achieve that.

He figured that he would have to take a name other than Harry. As they were both Harry, it would obviously cause a great deal of confusion to have both go by that name. No…the 'Harry' identity belonged to the child now. He would have to be the man behind the curtain.

Every single one of his motions would require good judgment, so perhaps that should be the name he should take. Cato…It wasn't his name but it would fit. At least for now.

His musing, however, was interrupted by a loud pounding on the cupboard door.

"Up!" Petunia screeched. "Up, Boy! It's time to get up."

Young Harry mumbled something indistinguishable, and rolled over. Then, as if suddenly remembering the events of last night, he bolted upright. He cautiously murmured, "Harry?" as if he was wondering if it was all some strange dream.

"Right here, kiddo." Older Harry grinned. "But it's probably best if you called me Cato. Less confusion that way."

"Cato?" The boy asked, confused. "Why that? Why not our middle name, James?"

"Because I'm not my father. I'm me…my own person. And if I'm Cato, I can be that." Harry paused. "And remember, you're not James either."

"Okay." The boy replied. "Cato."

Harry noticed the boy was surer of himself. He held himself differently, and his mannerisms, speech and vocabulary had improved. Probably a result of the 'Sharing' last night. If you had an adult in your head, you would definitely take on some adult characteristics, no matter your age.

But he felt he had to point something out. "Remember, Harry, that now you are THE Harry. I'm just a Harry. This is your perfect future we're striving for. I can only help you there. You'll play a big role in this."

Harry hesitated, but then nodded and said, "Yes. I know. I know that together, we can do this. Together we can succeed where one would fail."

Cato smiled. "Right." He reached over and rested his hand on Harry's head. "Together we'll win. Together, prevail."

There was more rapping on the door. "What are you doing, Boy?!! Get up! UP!!"

Harry shook his head, and started getting into his clothes. Cato watched, securing the Wand and the Cloak.

Even if it was only one step…they had already started moving forward. Forward towards a brand new day.

* * *

**AN**: Right. That's that for now. I hope this clears up any questions and doesn't confuse anybody too much. I haven't divulged everything either. Things will work out along the way in some ways, and in others I have a clear path defined. If anyone thinks this chapter is utterly useless, sorry. This is a foundation chapter, and kind of important, in my opinion. Review if you've got any serious issues and I'll try to answer them.

Next Chapter: **Time Passing Before the Start**

(It's rather dull, but here's the preview anyway.)

Time passed rather quickly. Cato knew that Harry's speech, vocabulary, behavior, and mannerisms were certainly more 'adult' than before. However the Dursleys didn't question it. Cato believed that they must have passed it off on 'his freakishness'. Nobody else seemed to question it either.

They must have believed the boy was just intelligent. Harry just smiled dryly. It was a bit of a lucky break, Harry said. But after all, he continued, nobody really cares about me anyway.

Cato had started teaching Harry basic things. They began with the things he would encounter in the Wizarding World, and when they moved past that, Cato began a history. He left out the dull, rather useless bits, and kept to what was important…what was vital.

Harry snapped it all up. They both knew that everything had a place. And that in time, everything would all fall into line.


End file.
